Yiddish Theatre in Europe

The short-lived yet influential movement.

Elsewhere in Europe there are occasional productions; another language is often mixed in with the Yiddish dialogue and song lyrics. There is considerable academic interest in Yiddish theatre, with a proliferation of university courses, academic conferences, and books on the subject published in several languages. Yiddish theatre, which existed at full energy for less than a century, nevertheless and against all odds, flowered as an artistic creation and social institution, and has come to serve as a popular metaphor for modern Yiddish culture.

Nahma Sandrow is the author of Vagabond Stars: A World History of Yiddish Theater and God, Man, and Devil: Yiddish Plays in Translation, as well as Kuni-Leml, the award-winning off-Broadway musical based on Yiddish theatre material. She writes and lectures on Yiddish and American theatre as well as a range of other subjects.